Legions of voracious NFL fans already know his voice, but few likely realize the orator of the NFL Network’s RedZone channel was raised in Oakland County.

In a Los Angeles studio, Rochester native Scott Hanson, now a Florida resident, works with a crew he estimated between 25 and 30 people which keeps tabs on each Sunday afternoon game. He’s there every Sunday throughout the NFL season, as he’s done for the past five NFL seasons.

“I stand in front of a wall of monitors,” he said. “We know where the football is in every game.
“It’s a very tough show to do well, but I’m proud to say we do.”

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For the uninitiated, RedZone derives its name from the high-percentage field position inside the 20-yard line. The channel’s programmers alternate swiftly between the many Sunday afternoon games in its noon to 8 p.m. broadcast window.

The passion Hanson displays for imminent scoring drives each Sunday was cultivated in Metro Detroit. He remembers being in the upper deck at Tiger Stadium during Game 5 of the 1984 World Series when Tigers hero Kirk Gibson launched a fateful home run.

“I grew up in one of the best sports towns in America,” Hanson said. “My passion was shaped through the Lions, Red Wings, Pistons and Tigers.”

The 1989 Madison Heights Bishop Foley grad got his start doing P.A. announcing for the school’s girl’s soccer team, of which his girlfriend at the time was a member. He parlayed that into an advantageous run through Syracuse University’s School of Public Communications.

Hanson recalled a memory of his broadcast news course where he negotiated trades with classmates in order to play the role of sportscaster as many times as possible. Once classmates realized what had happened, they informed the professor.

Hanson was also a four-year walk-on with the Orange football team, where he earned Scout Team Player of the Year honors in 1992. His course work combined with his on-field experience helped shape the adept announcer who takes the air for a seven-hour broadcast — with no commercial breaks.

While attending Syracuse, Hanson took a summer internship with WXYZ-TV in Southfield under local sportscasting legend Don Shane. The experience ignited Hanson’s passion for sports broadcasting, he recalled.

Hanson had multiple stops before the NFL Network, including Traverse City; Philadelphia; and Tampa, Fla.

Like the players and teams he chronicles, Hanson’s scouting begins anew each week, as he scours team websites, local media sites and Twitter for the latest news. (Hanson confessed to being immersed in research on his iPad during his phone interview.)

“We have to be prepared for anything,” he said.

Although he’s no longer a fan, per se, of any team in particular, Hanson admitted a Lions Super Bowl victory would likely summon the dormant fan within him.

“I will love it,” he said, adding the Lions are closer to the ultimate goal than they have been in a long time.

RedZone was spurred by NFL fans’ increased interest in fantasy football, which requires keeping tabs on all the week’s games, rather than just your local team, Hanson said. Nowadays, fans have an appetite for instantaneous NFL news and NFL RedZone helps feed that hunger.

“I would have passed out just knowing an NFL Network existed,” he joked about his childhood. “It’s a blessing to be hosting.”

Feedback has been “off the charts,” Hanson said of the channel, but there are dissenters.

“People say it’s life-changing, the best invention since TV,” he said.

Some fans, however, feel their team is being slighted by the rapid transitions in the studio control room.

“(They say) ‘You’re not showing enough of (insert team here),’ ” Hanson said. “The only team that isn’t treated equally is a team trailing 35-0. Tell your team to get in the red zone.”

The RedZone channel is available on most cable and satellite providers for a nominal charge. To subscribe, contact your local cable or satellite provider or visit redzonetv.nfl.com for more information.

NFL RedZone coverage breakdown
Many fans likely know someone who has the RedZone channel — or wishes they did — but it’s difficult to gauge an exact number of subscribers. The NFL Network does not release the number of subscribers for the channel and cable and satellite providers follow suit.
A report by Multichannel News cited Nielsen estimates for the month of September, which peg NFL Network at nearly 72 million subscribers. The report said RedZone is now available on 180 carriers nationwide, compared to just 20 when the channel debuted in 2009.
— Comcast’s Xfinity cable service, which has 21 million subscribers nationwide, offers NFL RedZone as part of its sports and entertainment package. The service also includes several other sports channels and is included in some of the company’s subscriptions, but otherwise costs an additional $9.99 per month.
— AT&T offers RedZone on its high definition premium tier of U-Verse TV, which is an additional $7 per month for subscribers with high-definition service. The bundle also includes several other regional sports networks, according to AT&T’s website.
— Charter cable, which serves communities in northern Oakland County, offers NFL RedZone in its SportsView tier of service. The channel comes bundled with several other sports networks and varies in price based on subscribers’ current level of service.
— According to its website, Wide Open West, which serves communities in Metro Detroit and mid-Michigan, recently added NFL Network and NFLRedZone. The channels are available in its upper tier cable packages with an additional monthly subscription, but the amount was not specified.
— Dish Network offers RedZone as part of its multi-sports package for $11 per month. The package also includes NFL Network, NBA TV, MLB Network, NHL Network and the Big Ten Network.
— DirecTV offers a similar Red Zone Channel, which launched in 2005, as part of its NFL Sunday Ticket package. The broadcast is hosted by former Fox Sports TV and radio show host Andrew Siciliano and available to customers as part of the provider’s Sunday Ticket Max package.
According to DirecTV’s website, Sunday Ticket costs $44.99 per month of the NFL season, while Sunday Ticket Max is $59.99 per month. The packages offer subscribers every out-of-market game on Sunday afternoons.
A representative said DirecTV has approximately two million subscribers to either of the Sunday Ticket packages combined.

Paul Kampe is the online coordinator for The Oakland Press

About the Author

Paul Kampe covers the Rochester area for The Oakland Press. He has also worked as online coordinator, a page designer/copy editor and preps sports writer. Reach the author at paul.kampe@oakpress.com
or follow Paul on Twitter: @PaulKampe.